A walk through a once sleepy town

I have just returned from a small vacation to my hometown, Mangalore where the buzzword on the streets seemed to be about Mangalore's development from sleepy little town with little to its name except sharing a number of alphabets with its better known half - Bangalore, to a bustling city which could hold out on its own.

If you had visited the Kadri park on Nantoor hills a few years ago you would be looking down to a vista of lush green coconut trees and fields all the way until they met the ocean at the horizon. Now this dramatic portrait is giving way to a more stark reality - that of numerous 'Ocean View' skyscrapers jostling for space with the ever receding flora. As I strolled through different sections of the city, the 'development' was strikingly evident. Roads expanded, high-rises popping up in every nook and corner, paddy fields almost an extinct species, and now recently, the advent of the ubiquitous mall. For the big developer, this was all signs of progress. But at the same time, in hushed tones were signs that this 'development' was accompanied by its dirty underbelly; there were ever frequent water cuts, the bore wells being dug for the buildings had lowered the water table.. power outages were becoming a way of life, construction was rampant with little or no care of urban planning and design and some buildings themselves had shoddy construction and poor execution. People were now travelling longer distances and spending more time getting to and back to work, either due to poor or non-existent infrastructure or due to the high cost of living within the city.

At the back of my mind I couldn't help but wonder - was this a case of development, or more of a case of sprawl. Was there any sense behind the rampant tearaway growth, ensuring that all its citizens could grow and develop in a city which offered good road and sanitation facilities, adequate power and water for all, and preserve and maintain its heritage and lush greenery which had defined it for many centuries? Was there any method to this madness to build up every available space, rather than to carefully plan a city so that old and new could peacefully coexist? I live abroad, where urban sprawl has become the disgusting reality of everyday life. Long commutes, smog and unfriendly cities have become passe. Some cities have rightly realised this and are spending billions of dollars trying to restore some semblance of sanity. Mangalore is yet not there, but could soon become one unless we change our outlook towards it. The citizens need to realise that the time is now to effect a change, else the next generation are bound to be raised in a faceless city, a city without an identity, a city which is a lost cause.

p.s. I hoped to make this a bit more evident by trying to source and show a picture of the view from Nantoor about 10-15 years ago and what you can see now. If anyone does have a file photograph and would be willing to share it feel free to send it in.

Art for Art's sake

An artist first and foremost is a dreamer, and it is his or her manifestation of the thought process that is represented in his/her art, whether it may be visual or auditory; or for that matter any other form of expression.However for the longest period of time I never could understand what motivated an artist - it surely couldnt be money since for every Warhol there would be a million others struggling to eke out an existence. Yet, for the most part they seem to be quite a contended lot, which is quite an oxymoron in this capitalist crazed world. Even more so, I love to have them around as my friends, being capable of engaging in pretty interesting conversations ranging from the 'pirouette of a ballarina' to the 'bold brush strokes of a Van Gogh' - far better than the latest technology buzz which surrounds nearly all technology centric folk.

And although a number of us dismiss their efforts by far less than a passing glance for many an artist the final product is the fruit of hours and years of painstaking effort spent honing an act which in its final stage seems almost effortless to the rest of us minions. Ever realise that even the great Michelangelo spent seven painstaking years of back-breaking labor to create the fresco which adorns the Sistine Chapel to this day or the sweet melody from a Yo Yo Ma performance did not result from overnight magic.

Maybe I am not cut out to be an artist, maybe I cannot appreciate the fine nuances and interpretations of modern art, but what I do know and appreciate is the labor behind it, the total commitment to perfect and further an art form for the singular purpose of raising human conciousness; to provide a beautiful sight to behold to sore eyes and praise the single minded determination behind the whole effort. And for this gift - I applaud thee.